


The Sky Calls to Us

by cleyendecker



Category: The LEGO Movie (2014)
Genre: M/M, coppernauts
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-11-26
Updated: 2015-11-26
Packaged: 2018-05-03 11:04:50
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,309
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5288339
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cleyendecker/pseuds/cleyendecker
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>[He's passed the eval but Benny still has a few more hurdles to jump]</p>
<p> </p>
<p>  <i>“We make our world significant by the courage of our questions and the depth of our answers.”</i></p>
            </blockquote>





	The Sky Calls to Us

If Benny’s nervous he doesn’t show it. B could never figure out that part about him. Benny put on his poker face and steeled his will but he’d been ironing the same spot on his uniform for the past ten minutes now and B’s halfway done with folding Benny’s laundry.

"Ben,” B says.

“Hmm?” Benny looks up, obviously distracted. He flips the sleeve of his uniform over and irons the other side.

“It’s okay to be nervous,” B offers helpfully. He finishes the fold on an undershirt and sets it aside.

“I’m not nervous,” Benny digs the iron into his uniform. “I don’t get nervous.”

Benny’s stubborn to the last. But B’s just as stubborn.

“You’ll still be working on the ships and such. That’s something, isn’t it Ben?”

“What if they decide they DON’T want me working on the ships huh? What if I’m just dead weight?” Benny doesn’t look up from his ironing. He angrily tucks a stray curl behind his ear. “I’m sick of all this up in the air bullshit. ‘You’ve passed your eval but wait the director has to decide if you can really go to space’.”

“Hey,” B says quietly, pressing a warm steady hand on the small of Benny’s back, “you’re gonna go in front of those old fellas and you’re gonna shine bright and show ‘em what they’re missing by not sending you up. They should know by now not to underestimate you,” he smiles. It’s warm and sincere.

Benny gives him a small smile in return. “It’s incredibly frustrating. Being so close and being told 'wait now you gotta jump through THESE entirely different hoops for resupply missions’ and feeling like it’s never good enough.” He sets the iron upright and absently smooths out his uniform.

“For what it’s worth,” B says, “you’ve done so much for the whole damn Space Corps. And I’m very proud of you.” He wraps Benny in a hug, pressing him close. He feels Benny relax and that’s all he can ask for. “I’ll be right here. Always will be.”

“Thanks, Chief,” Benny murmurs into B’s chest. He wraps his arms around B’s waist and B presses him close.

“Dunno what I’d do without you sometimes,” Benny says softly.

“You won’t ever have to find out.”

——  
Benny bolts out of bed the minute his alarm clock goes off and already he’s in the shower while B is still groggily reaching for his glasses.

He’s showered and dressed in 10 minutes flat– thanks Space Corps training– and staggers in the kitchen to find B with toast and two steaming mugs of coffee.

“Come sit with me, Ben.”

And Benny does, allowing himself a few moments of quiet stillness before the coming storm of the day ahead.

“You’re looking very handsome,” B stifles a yawn into his coffee cup.

“Aw Chief,” Benny blushes. He brushes an imaginary wrinkle from his perfectly pressed uniform. His unruly hair is pulled into a sleek bun at the nape of his neck. He looks older, more confident. It suits him well.

“See you tonight,” Benny finishes his coffee and kisses B’s cheek. He’d love to linger and take his time but there’s work to be done and there will be time for celebrating tonight. God willing.

B kisses him back, properly on the lips, and just like that Benny’s out the door in a flash of blue.

 

—-

Benny stands in front of the Director, the Colonel, and someone who’s name he can’t remember but they’re in the hangars all the time. There are three more people rounding out the panel. Quality control? Higher engineering? Benny doesn’t know. He stands with proper military posture holding his cap under his arm and doesn’t smile. It’s just him against six in an empty auditorium on the west end of the Space Corps campus.

“Dr. Benjamin Blue?” The Director addresses him.

“Yes ma'am.”

“You’re here because you want to fly again, is that right?”

“Yes ma'am.”

“Your record is impressive, that’s for sure. Explain to me this "unauthorized use of spacecraft and aircraft.”” The Director looks Benny square in the eye and Benny doesn’t look away.

“I took a ship up to deliver supplies and a handful of astronauts to the moonbase before the Rebellion– during the hunts.”

Benny pauses while a murmur sweeps through the panel.

“And engaged in slightly illegal dogfights in an F-14 during the Rebellion.”

The panel falls silent. The Director speaks first.

“While you were on probation and grounded from active flight, is that right?”

Benny nods. “Yes ma'am.”

“And to be clear, you never received any disciplinary action.” The Director’s staring hard at him but he doesn’t flinch. Benny swallows hard.

“That’s correct ma'am.”

The Colonel interrupts. “Given the circumstances we extended his probation and asked him to submit to another psychiatric evaluation.”

The Director looks again at Benny.

“Also correct,” Benny says, “I passed the evaluation last month and was allowed back to work in the hangars. When I inquired about returning to active missions I was told it would be at the discretion of the director.” Benny’s eyes are on every panel member. Some are staring him down, some are scribbling things down. The scribbling makes him nervous. He pushes it down. He’s still got work to do.

“Why are you so set on flying again, Dr. Blue,” the Director addresses him. It’s not a question and it catches Benny off guard.

“No one can do it as well as I can,” he says after only a moment’s hesitation.

“You think you’re invaluable?" 

Benny can’t tell if the Director is mocking him.

"I know I’m invaluable.”

A few smirks spread across the panel. Benny continues.

“I joined when I was 17, logged more flight hours and hours in space than anyone else. I’ve given the Space Corps everything. Blood, sweat, and tears. A new fleet of ships with advanced heat shields that’s kept our astronauts safer than ever before. No one can fly those ships better than I can.”

“No one else has doctorates in astrophysics, engineering, and math,” one of the panel members speaks up and Benny wants to buy them a drink.

“I’m passionate about space exploration,” Benny continues. “15 years with the Space Corps hasn’t dulled that. I want to keep exploring, keep discovering. Not just for us now, but for generations to come. That’s why I’m so set on flying again. It’s not for me. It’s for everyone.”

The panel falls silent again. Everyone is looking at him but he doesn’t have time to analyze their glances. His eyes are on the Director who’s writing everything down.

“Dr. Blue you’re dismissed for the moment. Give us some time to deliberate.”

“Thank you ma'am.”

—-

Benny’s been waiting almost a full hour and all he wants is a smoke and a cheeseburger. He’s certain his fate is sealed. He got too emotional, and everyone knew it. He’s pacing the hallway flinging his cap in the air and catching it on his head, contemplating calling B when the Colonel brings him back in.

“Blue,” he nods, and flings the auditorium doors open.

“Thank you for your patience, Dr. Blue. We had a lot to discuss.”

“It was no trouble, ma'am,” Benny says. He doesn’t remember it being so warm in here before.

“We’ve decided to reactivate your flight status. Effective immediately.”

Benny can’t help himself and he grins broadly.

“Thank you ma'am.”

_Holy shit. Holy shit!!_

“Flight training for the next resupply mission begins at 0800 Monday morning. And the Colonel reminds you that your current hairstyle is not regulation and he’d better not see you with that hair ever again.”

Benny cracks another smile. "Yessir. Thank you ma'am.”

The panel stands and salutes him and he salutes in return.

“At ease,” the Director says. She does the unthinkable and smiles at him.

“See you Monday.”


End file.
